Swimming Free
by Windimere Wellen
Summary: A story about a Rescue mission gone awry...features mostly Jim and later on some not so nice situations for a couple of the main characters. Finally finally updated!!! sorry i took so long!!
1. Bad Feelings

Authors Note: I don't own anything. This is my first try at seaQuest. I've been toying with this idea for quite some time, but was a little wary because of the fact that seaQuest has been off the air for some time. None the less, here is the first chapter. If you all like it, I'll keep going. Please no flames ( I'm just an amateur ;) Anyway, tell me what you think!  
  
"Captain, the distress signal is definitely coming from that island, but it's not supposed to be inhabited. The last people on that island was a medical research group from the UEO and they abandoned the station several years ago. I can't see any sign of life." Lieutenant Timothy O'Neil turned to face his captain. The bridge of the seaQuest, the UEO's most expensive submarine was unusually quiet, only because everyone seemed to be focused on the situation at hand. Only a short time before, Tim had picked up a faint automated distress call and under the Captain's orders, the seaQuest had changed direction to check it out.  
  
"Anything in the water Mr. Ortiz?" Captain Nathan Hale Bridger was concerned that this didn't make as much sense as he wanted it to. He was a tall man, whose face bore the lined and weathered look of a wise sea captain. His attention was fully focused on his sensor chief now. Miguel Ortiz, a tall and well-built Cuban with dark curly hair also turned to face Bridger.  
  
"Nothing from the W.S.K.R.S., sir." The sub commander sighed. Something just didn't feel right, but he could hardly ignore a distress signal.  
  
"Captain?" Bridger turned to face his second in command, Jonathan Ford, who was waiting patiently for Bridger's orders. Bridger appreciated the tall black man more than he could ever explain, mostly because his second in command was a patient and understanding man that trusted his Captain explicitly.  
  
"Take us in Commander." Ford nodded and turned to the helm where Ensign Lonnie Henderson sat at her con station.  
  
"Take us in closer Henderson."  
  
"Commander, ready a rescue team and take a launch as soon as we're close enough," Bridger said softly to Jonathan. The stoic commander nodded.  
  
"Jackson, take over for Henderson. Henderson, I'll need you to pilot the launch," Lonnie nodded at Jonathan and relinquished her station to an older pilot. Bridger watched as Jonathan turned to the security station. He was not surprised to find Ford seeking his Chief of Security, Lieutenant Jim Brody. When Jim had first come aboard the seaQuest, the two officers had gotten off to a very rocky start. Ford had not dealt well with Jim's cocky and brash self-assurance and Jim had known exactly which buttons to push in Ford's calculated personality. However, over time, they had formed a very good working relationship, often being able to read each other's minds in crucial situations. Beyond their working relationship, they had become practically best friends and spent most of their off duty time together.  
  
"Where's Lieutenant Brody?" Ford asked, surprised to find Ensign Bedell at the security station.  
  
"The Lieutenant has been pulling double shifts for the last two days, so he's off duty now that our new security systems is up and running. Call him anyway, I don't want you up there without security measures," Bridger replied, hoping that Jim had slept since he had gone off duty a few hours before. He'd been up a little over forty-eight hours before Bridger had finally insisted he give it a rest when he'd seen the young officer looking like he was about to drop. Despite knowing that he was exhausted, Bridger felt uncomfortable sending Jonathan to the surface without the Chief of Security.  
  
"Are you sure he's up to it?"  
  
"You have your orders Commander Ford," Bridger's voice was firm but hardly reproving and Ford could not argue the point.  
  
"Aye sir. Lieutenant Brody, please report to the Sea-Deck immediately," Ford said, leaning over Tim's shoulder at the communications station.  
  
"Yes, sir," a groggy voice replied.  
  
"Tim, I'll need you too. Ortiz, go get Piccolo and meet us at the launch." Ortiz nodded and hurried off to find Tony Piccolo, the cocky and less than serious seaman that Captain Bridger had taken on because of Tony's special attribute. Tony had been part of an experiment done by the UEO, where his body had been surgically altered so that he had gills and could breathe underwater.  
  
Ortiz and Tim moved to leave the bridge with Lonnie right behind them. Once they were gone, Ford turned to follow when Bridger reached out and touched his arm.  
  
"Jonathan," he lowered his voice. "Be careful, I have a bad feeling that this could be a dangerous mission…"  
  
"Don't worry sir, Jim and I'll take care of it." Bridger merely nodded, knowing the tow of them would handle the situation in whatever way was best. Ford hurried off the bridge to meet his team. When he got to the launch, al of the gear had been stored on board already and Jim was giving final orders. The Lieutenant looked physically exhausted, but seemed mentally alert. His uniform was crisp and the only thing that marred his handsome all-American boy looks was that his light brown hair was ruffled, proving that he had just rolled out of bed.  
  
"All set Jonathan."  
  
"Thanks Jim. Let's go guys!" Miguel, Tim, Tony, and Lonnie boarded the shuttle. Jonathan grabbed Jim's arm before he had the chance to follow. "You gonna be ok?"  
  
Jim flashed him a grin that would make any girl's heart melt. "Sure Jon, don't worry. Don't forget, I'm a Navy…"  
  
"SEAL…yeah yeah, I know. Get on the boat," Jonathan tried to sound annoyed, but failed and smiled back at the seaQuest's third in command. The two men boarded the launch together. Jim took a seat next to Lonnie in the co-pilot's position while Jonathan broke up an argument between Tony and Tim about who was to sit where. He admonished Miguel for egging them on and warned them he was not babysitting. By the time he had put an end to it, the launch was sliding out of the underside of seaQuest. Lonnie and Jim set a safe course and a short time later the launch slid up on the sandy beach of the island in question.  
  
The sky was overcast and threatened rain as the team secured the launch. Jonathan glanced around curiously. He knew that the island was fairly large and at one time it had been home to a UEO scientific research center, for what uses he had no idea. However, the island had been deserted for five years and was over run by a thick and intimidating tropical forest.  
  
"I still have the distress signal, Commander. It's coming from about a half a klick inland in that direction," Tim said, glancing up from his PAL to point into the trees.  
  
"Well, we'd better get started, come on guys." They trudged there way across the sand and Jim took point when they entered the forest. The going was easy at first, but the undergrowth became thicker and thicker. Every once in a while they would have to change direction to get around something impassible and Tim walked with Jim in the front to get them back on track. The team was already hot and sweat soaked their bodies. Jonathan watched Lonnie as she stumbled and caught her arm.  
  
"You all right?"  
  
"Yeah. This is one of the longest quarter clicks I've ever walked," she said with a laugh.  
  
"I love this weather," Miguel said with a grin. Tony glared at him.  
  
"I hate it, unless I'm on the beach watchin' some hot chicks in bikinis…" Tony trailed off when Lonnie hit him. Ford laughed at Lonnie's reaction.  
  
"Come on guys, we're almost there," Jim called and even as he said that, they stepped out into a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a little metal building. Jim drew his gun and motioned for everyone to do the same. "Stay close to the edge of the trees. I don't like this." Jonathan wished he hadn't said that, it was to many times that day that the sentiment had been expressed.  
  
"Well, according to this, the distress signal is originating from that building," Tim said, looking from his PAL to the building and then back at the PAL again.  
  
"Seems fishy," Miguel muttered.  
  
"I agree," Jim replied. "I'm going to check it out. You guys stay here, Jonathan, cover my back." Jonathan nodded as the Security Chief made a run for the building. He reached it, pressing his body firmly up against the wall. Creeping around towards the door, he was watched by the other five officers. Jim reached the door and tried the handle, finding it unlocked. He let the door swing open, then burst in, his gun level in his hand, prepared to shoot anything that didn't belong there. To his surprise, he found the room empty. It seemed to be a communications building of some sort in quite a bit of disarray, most likely because of its lack of use. A red light blinked on one of the consoles, indicating the broadcast of the distress signal. As far as Jim could tell, no human had touched the control to activate it, but to know for sure Tim would have to look at it.  
  
Turning back around, he walked out of the building, shrugging at Jonathan. "Looks like a malfunctioning piece of equipment. I don't think anyone's been in this building since the research faculty pulled out of here, but Tim should come look at it," he called. Jonathan sighed, feeling better.  
  
"I guess were safe then," the seaQuest officers made their way into the clearing and Tim went right in the building, followed closely by Tony, who was almost immediately being yelled at for touching things. Jim and Jonathan met in the middle, looking around and exchanging a shrug. Lonnie and Miguel peered in the door, but obviously decided it was too crowded inside with Tim and Tony and began to search the rest of the clearing.  
  
"I don't know. Just doesn't feel right," Jim was saying to Ford, who nodded.  
  
"I know, as if it was too easy, but you know we're just being paranoid. One to many adventures under the waves."  
  
"I guess you're right…it's just that…" Jim never finished his sentence because gunfire, real live bullets, permeated the air of the clearing. Jonathan dropped to the ground wildly looking around. He was chilled to the bone when he heard the bullets strike the building and he heard Tony yelling for Tim to get down. Jonathan's alarm overrode his good sense and he started to get up to search for his officers. Seconds later, he was shoved to the ground and he could only guess it was Jim by the anguished cry he heard as he hit the ground hard underneath a well-muscled body. 


	2. Mariah's Taunt

Authors Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! I had my wisdom teeth out this weekend and I haven't felt like doing much. Thank you so much for all the great reviews…I plan to keep updating this as often as my finals schedule allows. Tell me what you think of this chapter, sorry about the cliffhanger!  
  
  
  
Just as suddenly as the gunfire had begun, it stopped. Jonathan laid still for a moment, then rolled on to his side to face the man lying next to him. Jim had most likely just saved his life and Jonathan was kicking himself mentally. The young Lieutenant was lying flat on his stomach, left hand clamped over his chest immediately below his right shoulder bone. Blood covered his hand and was beginning to cover the grass right below his shoulder. Jim's face was pale and drawn and his eyes were beginning to look glassy and his gaze was far away.  
  
"Jim! Hold on buddy…" Jonathan was frightened now, wishing he had been shot and not Jim. Jim turned his gaze to Jonathan in an effort to concentrate. Jonathan cursed silently knowing here was little he could do for Jim at the moment.  
  
"Don't worry yet Jonathan," Jim said, offering him a tight smile. Jonathan just frowned and searched for the rest of his crew. He could see Tony and Tim watching himself and Jim from the door of the communications hut. Lonnie and Miguel were crawling towards the door of the hut, seemingly unscathed, and for that Jonathan was eternally grateful. When they reached the door, they slid inside, greeted with relief by Tony and Tim. All four of the crew turned their attention to their two officers in the middle of the clearing, lying on the ground. They whispered nervously, trying to figure out what they should do to get Jonathan and Jim out of harm's way. Jonathan watched them whisper, feeling uneasy. It was far to quiet. Why had the gunfire just stopped? He turned to Jim, who seemed to have the same question on his lips.  
  
"Commander!" Miguel was speaking as quietly as he could manage, still trying to be heard across the expanse. Once he had gotten Jonathan's attention, he and Lonnie pointed to their guns and then to Jonathan and Jim.  
  
"They're going to cover us," Jim remarked with half a laugh, immediately regretting the movement. "Up for a run Jonathan? After all, you were late coming down to the gym this morning…" Jim's voice was light, but Jonathan didn't miss the undercurrent of pain and tension.  
  
"Can you make it?"  
  
"Of course I can. Get my gun though." Jonathan nodded and picked up Jim's gun from where he had dropped it, right in between the two of them. Jonathan nodded at Miguel and held up three fingers. Lonnie and Miguel nodded back.  
  
"Three…Two…One…" Jonathan jumped to his feet and pulled Jim up with him at the same moment Miguel and Lonnie stepped out of the door and gave covering fire. Jonathan flinched when here heard Jim's sharp intake of pain at the harsh movement, but gave his friend a push forward. The covering fire lasted until they had made it to the hut. Tim and Tony eased Jim through the door and Jonathan shoved equipment out of the way, finally sitting Jim on one of the consoles. Miguel kept a vigil up at the door, watching the woods for any sign of hostiles.  
  
Lonnie was already busy cutting away Jim's uniform shirt around the bloody spot.  
  
"What happened sir? Who's shooting at us?" she asked hurriedly.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"It came out of nowhere," Jim said, gritting his teeth as Lonnie peeled back the blood soaked cloth from the actual wound.  
  
"That was not the smartest thing to do Jim! You should have let me get shot in my own stupidity!" Jonathan said in a worried way, glancing at his second in command who was obviously in pain.  
  
"You're welcome Jon, don't worry," Jim tried to remain nonchalant, but gasped in pain as Lonnie took a closer look at the wound. Jim was gushing unhealthy looking dark red blood and his flesh was torn up. Lonnie swallowed hard. "How is it?" Jim asked. "I take it that it could be a whole lot better."  
  
"Dear God…I've never treated real bullets, sir. Who in the world would use real bullets? No wonder they were outlawed!" Lonnie's voice was shaky, ignoring Jim's question.  
  
"I don't know Lonnie. Hang in there Jim. This isn't going to be easy. From the looks of it, you need to get back on seaQuest immediately, but I don't see that happening…" Just as Jonathan was speaking, a beeping filled the small hut. Everyone except Tim looked around in a half panic.  
  
"It's a communications signal! Someone's trying to call here!" Tim said, searching through the equipment Jonathan had dumped on the floor a few minutes earlier. He found a small great comm box and glanced up at Ford. "Should I answer it?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
Tim nodded and flipped the receiver on.  
  
"Commander Ford, can you hear me?" The very soft feminine voice chilled all six inhabitants of the hut and frightened Tim most of all. It was a voice each one knew all to well. The voice belonged to the vindictive Dagger, Mariah. Very slowly, Jonathan left Jim's side and knelt next to Tim to answer her.  
  
"Yes Mariah, I can hear you," his answer was slow and deliberate.  
  
"Good, I was hoping you would know it was me. I apologize for the use of such trickery to get you here, but I doubted you would have responded to an invitation, and I know well enough that Captain Bridger would never pass over a distress call. I know you are most likely boiling mad, so I just want you to listen. Your launch has been secured by my employer's men. The hut you are in right this moment is surrounded. I hope you believe that considering the witness of the gunfire a little earlier. The last bit of information I have for you is the most important, so listen carefully Commander. Although I was not at your little fire fight, I am outside now and they have told me that they succeeded in their mission – getting you into that hut and wounding one of your officers," she paused for a moment and Jonathan looked at Jim who was listening intently. Tim looked horrified and Tony seemed to be pale. Miguel and Lonnie stood frozen in their places by the door, watching the clearing, but they were clearly listening to every word Mariah was saying. "Now the purpose of me telling you this is for you to believe every word I have to say. Getting you to this island was a master work of a plan and everything had to be completed. The men had orders to shoot one of your officers for a reason. That reason is that you surrender now to me. Though you are not scoffing at me now, you are probably thinking that you would never surrender. Please think again. Every bullet fired from those guns was coated in a thick form of poison that only I have an antidote for. Don't believe me? I may not know which of you officers was shot, but I hope you are looking at them right now. The wound should be oozing a disgusting dark red blood that looks sickly. I would guess that within five minutes that color will be closer to black. Your officer will become feverish within this five minutes and most likely lose consciousness. Then the convulsions start. After the convulsions start, you have exactly ten minutes to surrender to me, or I assure you, I will be too late to save your officer. I give you my word that if you surrender, I will give provide the antidote right there in front of you. When you are ready to surrender, and I hope that you will take me seriously, you must exit the hut one at a time and throw your weapons to the left. Walk fifteen paces and wait. The last person to exit the hut should be you commander and all you should have in your hands is your unconscious officer, or your other officers will be shot. I hope this is understood. You have about thirteen minutes before you lose your chances. Don't be a fool Commander, the navy would hate to lose a good officer," with those final words, the communication ended and all five of his officers turned to look at Jonathan.  
  
"Now what?" 


	3. Surrender

Authors Note: Here is the third chapter, tell me what you think. Hope you enjoy!  
  
  
  
"Absolutely not," Jim's voice was firm and steady as he spoke. "Don't even entertain the thought Jonathan. To start with, you know the UEO's policy on terrorist attacks, and that is what this is. Secondly, we have no idea if she's telling the truth! It's probably all a lie. Thirdly, I would never ever let you surrender on the account of my life. Who knows what plan she has for you. She's gone through a lot of trouble to get us here and I will not be the one that plays right into her plans…" Jim showed no signs of ceasing his tirade, but Jonathan waved his hand at him.  
  
"Relax Jim, I didn't say anything yet. Let's say I did believe that she poisoned you…I don't think I believe that she would help you… We have to figure out something else…" Jonathan stopped speaking though, because he was truly beginning to believe Mariah. The blood oozing from Jim's bare chest had turned to a black color. Lonnie had seen it to.  
  
"Jim!" she reached out to touch the dripping blood.  
  
"Don't touch it Lonnie!" Tony's voice was urgent. Jim looked down at his wound, swallowing hard. He looked back up, realizing then that his vision had started to blur. He felt very cold and everything seemed to be shaking.  
  
"Jonathan…" he tried to speak, but the darkness seemed to be overtaking him.  
  
"Jim!" Tony yelled, catching the young Lieutenant as he pitched forward. He caught Jim and Jonathan was at his side. They lowered Jim to the ground, but it was clear that he was unconscious. The blood flow had increased.  
  
"Mariah wasn't lying. She doesn't lie when it's about getting her own way," Tim's voice was deadly soft. "Commander, I don't doubt that Jim'll die without that antidote."  
  
Jonathan didn't look at Tim for a moment, merely staring down at Jim's face. What would Bridger have done? Just as he was asking himself this, Jim's body began to shake and convulse.  
  
"Commander!"  
  
"Hold his head still, sir!" Lonnie's voice was desperate as she tried to hold Jim's arms to the ground. Minutes that seemed to stretch into hours passed until Jim's body stopped shaking. A fine sheen of sweat covered the young man's body and the wound bleed freely.  
  
"What do you think Lonnie?"  
  
"I think Tim's right. I think Mariah wasn't lying. Sir…if Jim dies…"  
  
"Jim isn't going to die…but you all have to make a choice. Jim didn't want us to surrender, but I can't sit back and watch him die. I'm willing to risk my own life and give myself over to whatever sick plot Mariah has in mind, but I can't order you to do the same. It's your choice what you want to do."  
  
"No question sir, Jim's my friend," Miguel had waited only seconds before answering.  
  
"Yeah, I owe him for cards, maybe this will cancel out the debt," Tony said trying to remain casual with a shrug of the shoulders.  
  
"I can't…I won't leave him," Lonnie said slowly, as if there was some sort of deeper meaning to her words that none of them knew about. The only one who remained silent was Tim. It was understandable that he was thinking back to the time when Mariah had used him to get back at the crew of the seaQuest. Jonathan was unsure whether it was fear of her or fear of the guilt Jim might feel later on that caused Tim to hesitate. While they waited, Jim's body began to shudder again, this time the convulsions came quicker and were more violent. His breath had turned shallow as if it were no longer important. Tim helped Lonnie hold Jim's body still so he wouldn't thrash and hurt himself.  
  
"Ok, I'm in," he said quickly to Jonathan.  
  
"Listen closely…don't tell her anything beyond name, rank, and serial number. I won't let her touch you if I can help it. I'm in charge, so don't try anything heroic, Jim's already done that and gotten himself in a mess. Our first objective is escape after we know Jim's going to live. Understood?" He got affirmative nods from all of his officers. He smiled at them reassuringly and then pointed to Miguel. "You go first Miguel…and good luck."  
  
"Yes, sir," the dark haired sensor chief turned back to the door and stepped slowly through, as if to signify he meant no harm. He tossed away his gun and put his hands up, carefully counting out how many steps he took. He was joined by Tony soon after. Tim came next, looking to his friends for support. Lonnie was nearly right behind him and they all looked around, expecting to see at least something, but nothing moved. Jonathan was last out, carrying Jim as carefully as he could. He moved slowly and deliberately to show he wasn't hiding anything. He didn't want to risk another firefight. As soon as he reached the other four officers, two dozen men dressed in army fatigues and combat paint melted out from the forest, all bearing nasty looking pistols that undoubtedly shot the poisoned bullets. Mariah was among them, dressed like them, minus the face paint. She did not have a gun in her hand, but one was strapped to her hip. She carried a small black box in her hand and she walked straight to Jonathan.  
  
"What a terrible shame," her voice was soft and soothing as she stopped right in front of him. "Lieutenant Brody…" She reached out and touched his warm cheek. Jonathan took a protective step back.  
  
"Don't touch him. Where's the antidote?"  
  
"In good time Commander," she said, more business-like, and then motioned at one of the men. He strode forward and began cuffing Miguel's hands behind his back. Jonathan glared at Mariah as the man cuffed each one of the officers. Finally he finished and nodded at Mariah with some silent communication. "Put him on the ground Commander," she ordered. Jonathan hesitated, not willing to place his trust in Mariah's hands. After all, this was Jim… "Now Commander. You are running out of time…or should I say the Lieutenant is."  
  
"You self-centered…" Tony started in on some sort of tirade, but it was quickly put to a stop.  
  
"Tony…don't," Jonathan's response was cool as he carefully knelt and laid Jim on the ground as gently as he could. "Mariah, so help me…if you don't give him the antidote…"  
  
"Relax Commander," Mariah began to assure him as his hands were being secured behind his back. "My employer has great plans for Mr. Brody. Don't you worry at all." Mariah knelt by Jim's side and opened the box, removing a nasty looking syringe. With ease, she located a vein in Jim's left arm and carefully emptied the contents of the needle into Jim's bloodstream. "There, now I kept my promise. He won't be dying due to poisoning anytime soon." Jonathan didn't like the way she said that at all and glared at her. He looked back to Jim, seeing that his tense muscles had relaxed and the convulsions had definitely stopped.  
  
"So help me Mariah if you hurt him…"  
  
"Idle threats Commander. Lieutenant Brody and I have a long history together. I may want some sort of revenge on him, but in this situation it isn't me you have to fear hurting your friend. He was unlucky enough to be the officer that got hit by the bullet. It could have been any of you. Now his fate awaits him. I told you, my employer went to great lengths to plan this operation. It's really to bad Mr. Brody is in such good physical shape…my employer might have canceled his plans otherwise if it were say…Tim." She snapped her head towards Tim, who stumbled backwards. She gave him a toothy grin to show all of them she had merely been trying to frighten Tim with the last statement. Jonathan, however, had other things to worry about. Mariah was giving him huge hints towards her employer's plans and Jonathan did not like any of it one bit. They were all in danger, and he had to get them out…somehow. 


	4. Imprisoned

Authors Note: Here is the fourth chapter. It's a little slow, sorry about that. The next one should be getting into more of the real trouble and danger. It's going to be really AU for the rest of the story and I'm going to ask now that there will be no flames. If you don't like it, ok, but please don't yell at me ;) For all you Lucas fans out there, he will be making an appearance eventually, but it won't be huge, sorry! Please review and tell me what you think.  
  
Clez- Thanks for the encouragement!!!  
  
The trek through the woods had been especially grueling for the crew of the seaQuest who were already exhausted and hot from their ordeal. The adrenaline that had been coursing through their bodies earlier had left them feeling expended now. A few times on the forced march, they stumbled and almost fell. Their captors merely sneered at them. During the entire march, Jonathan kept his eye on his second in command. Mariah had ordered that he be carried by one of the men whose face was unrecognizable under all the paint. Jim had remained unconscious for the entire trek through the dense jungle and Jonathan had wondered if he was really alive. He was also careful to observe that he was not the only one watching Jim intently. Mariah was attentive to everything that went on around her, but Jonathan caught her eyes stray to Jim and take in the security officer with more than casual interest. Jonathan was both curious and shocked by this observation, wondering what interest she had in Jim. It made his stomach churn to think of plans of revenge that might have been tossing themselves about in her cruel and calculating mind. Mariah had a history with Jim, but hadn't she already told Jonathan that it wasn't going to be her he had to worry about? It was hard to believe.  
  
After what seemed like hours, they came upon the abandoned scientific compound. It was a mass of smaller buildings surrounding a larger two storied building. Its concrete was pale and looked as if it had been bleached further by the sun. Nature had began to take its course, and the courtyards and open spaces had began to fill in with small trees and brush. Jonathan wasn't sure if he should be relieved that whoever had them in his or her control hadn't been there long enough to set up camp, or be worried that someone could come in so quickly and pull one over on the ex-o of the most powerful sub in the world. The crew was prodded along until they entered the main building. Once inside, they could see that work had been done to get power and systems up and running again, not to mention the fact that they must have been improved to match with the changing times. They were led away from the center of the building and pushed down a set of stairs. After two flights, they were guided down a darkened hallway. Tim looked especially nervous, mirroring the thoughts of all the officers involved.  
  
The hallway gave way to a large room with many doors in its walls. Mariah stopped in front of one and swiped a card in a key scan. She went through at least three more security measures, including a retina scan before the door opened with a hiss. Behind the door was a fairly large room with three bunks on one wall and two on the other. One wall was clearly a two way mirror and there was some sort of trap door in one wall that could obviously only be opened from the outside.  
  
"In," Mariah ordered, gesturing to Jonathan and the rest of the officers. Seeing they had no other choice in the matter, they complied. Once inside, the guards unlocked their wrists, while two kept close watch on them, deadly guns aimed at the prisoners. Mariah smiled at them. "Hope you enjoy your stay here Commander. You will be smart enough not to try to escape…after all, that is two-way glass. I expect more intelligence out of you. Mr. Brody will need a bit more medical attention, which I am sure you have guessed, so if you have any hope of not endangering his life further, I would suggest sitting tight. Don't look so worried," she said, noting Miguel's furrowed brow. "My employer isn't interested in really harming any of you. He has an agenda, which will be followed. You will only be harmed if you get in the way. Trust me, his…subjects….have already been selected."  
  
"Subjects?!?" Jonathan's voice was raised in outrage. "Mariah, you are out of your mind! You expect intelligence out of me? You're the one that should know that I've already missed my check in and Captain Bridger is going to have security details swarming this island in less than an hour! Whatever you have in mind is going to be sorely screwed up."  
  
"I have no doubt that he plans to do just that…but you have to admit, organizing a security operation without the chief of security would be a bit difficult. I plan to help Captain Bridger avoid that dismal task," she turned to Lonnie, pulling out her gun and pointing it at the Ensign. "You, come with me."  
  
"No!" Jonathan stepped in front of Mariah.  
  
"Commander, step aside. She won't be harmed. I just need her to deliver a message to your captain. You have my word that she'll be back in less than a half an hour and if she cooperates, she'll be no worse for the wear." One of the armed me grabbed Lonnie by the arm, but she did not struggle.  
  
"Don't worry sir, I'll be fine."  
  
Jonathan hardly liked backing down, but stepped back and let them pass. Mariah turned to go.  
  
"Wait! What about Jim?"  
  
"Ah yes, Lieutenant Brody… Ensign," she said, turning to the man holding Jim. "Put the Lieutenant on that bunk. I'll be back to make sure he receives the proper treatment later. I suggest making sure that wound is clean," with those final words, Mariah turned and strode from the room. The ensign laid Jim on the bunk none to gently and he cried out in pain as if he was coming around. Lonnie was led out and the door closed and the resounding click of the lock was like breaking glass in a tomb. Finally, Jonathan glanced at Jim who was stirring.  
  
"Are you ok?" Jonathan asked Miguel, Tim, and Tony. They nodded and Miguel followed Jonathan closely as the Commander knelt by Jim. "Come on Jim…wake up buddy," he urged. Jim let out a soft groan again, but didn't wake up. Sighing heavily, Jonathan turned back to Tim. "Tim, can you help me with this bandage? Until Lonnie comes back, you're the closest thing we have to a field medic."  
  
Tim seemed stunned and frozen to his spot, but he finally turned, pushing up his glasses and joined Jonathan.  
  
"Think Mariah will keep her word? Will they bring back Lonnie?"  
  
"I hope so. I'm worried that I've gotten us in over our heads."  
  
"We couldn't let Jim die, sir," Tony's voice was absolute. "I don't like the sound of none of this 'subject' crap, but its not like we have a choice, if you know what I'm sayin'."  
  
"I do."  
  
"Well, it sort of all fits. Find an old abandoned scientific colony that has all the equipment any scientist might need to do experiments. This room was obviously designed for observing the effects of an experiment on humans…what I wouldn't give to know what kind of experiments they did here…" Miguel looked around thoughtfully.  
  
"I know what they did here," Tony's voice was deadly soft, causing Jonathan, Tim, and Miguel to turn and look at the ex-con.  
  
"You do?" Jonathan asked slowly.  
  
"Yeah, I didn't recognize it before sir, see, I wasn't really paying much attention to the scenery then…"  
  
"Tony…"  
  
"Uh yeah, well see sir, I'm pretty sure this is where that doc did his operating to make me a fish."  
  
"Here? Well, I guess that would make sense…are you sure?"  
  
"No sir, it just looks like the place a lot…feels like the place."  
  
"Are you…all right?"  
  
"Yeah, no sweat sir. Hey, its not like these people are going to be giving me new gills or anything," Tony grinned and Miguel chuckled.  
  
"Good point Tony. After all that was a top secret project…"  
  
"Let's not worry about it," Tim said, trying to lighten the mood. "I think Jim's all right. No sign of infection and this bleeding looks like a normal color to me. I wish he would stop bleeding…but he needs bandages and maybe stitches of some sort."  
  
"All of which we don't have…but Mariah does. So at some point, I have to give Jim back to her, which I don't like at all. Especially after those comments she made…" Jonathan trailed off and sighed heavily. "Look, we have to be careful what we say in here. After all, Mariah even pointed out that that wall is two-way glass which means they can see us and more than likely hear us."  
  
"Aye, sir, we got you."  
  
"Good…now I guess we wait for Lonnie and see what good old Mariah has in store for us. With any luck, Captain Bridger's on his way right now…and we'll all be eating super aboard the seaQuest tonight." Just the thought made all four of them smile and Jonathan knew that at least for now they were going to be ok. 


	5. Hostages

Authors Note: Well, here is the 5th Chapter. What do you think? I didn't get any response for the last chapter, so I am not sure if ya'll hate it or not. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
True to her word, Mariah returned within the half-hour, with Lonnie in tow. Lonnie seemed fine from Jonathan's casual inspection, so he didn't see any need to say anything to Mariah. The Dagger was cool and aloof as she approached the still unconscious Jim. Tim sat on the ground near the bunk Jim was laying on and glared at Mariah as she got close.  
  
"Nervous Tim?" her voice was taunting. Tim didn't reply but moved to let her get close to Jim. She touched his forehead, feeling for a fever of any sort and Jonathan was surprised at the tender look on her face as she did so. "I told you I would help him Commander. I really don't want to argue with you, so I'm telling you now that to help the Lieutenant, I'm going to have to take him to our medical facility. Please don't argue with me."  
  
Jonathan considered her request for a few moments and then nodded his ascent. "I don't like having to trust you Mariah, but I won't let Jim die."  
  
"I didn't think you would. You may regret this trip Commander…I know you already do. Just remember that no one has to die," with that final statement, she stood and lifted Jim into her arms with ease. Jonathan had previously forgotten her strength and was momentarily amazed that she could lift the physically fit security officer. Then remembering the unnatural strength all Daggers had, he stepped out of her way. Watching all of them closely, she left with an odd look on her face.  
  
"I don't like the way she looks at him," Miguel growled, still watching the door. "Its like she thinks of him as a conquest…like she wants something from him…"  
  
Jonathan was about to reply, ready to affirm that he had also noted Mariah strange interest in Jim, but Lonnie spoke up, silencing all of them.  
  
"Love," her voice was soft but certain.  
  
"Excuse me?" Tony found his voice first and was incredulous. "You're kiddin' me right?"  
  
"Not at all. I know that look. She wants to own him. She wants him to love her. She's always had that look when it comes to Jim. I know…I noticed the first time Jim came aboard the seaQuest. When we had to talk with her…her eyes always drifted to him. Even with that situation with you Tim…she was always searching for Jim," Lonnie shrugged as she finished. "Call it woman's intuition. I know that look when I see it. I'm sure I've looked at some guy the same way."  
  
"I think she's right," Tim said, nodding. "I'm not saying Mariah's in love with Jim, but I certainly think she wants something from him and that she's a little bit more than casually interested in him."  
  
"This all makes me a little sick," Miguel muttered.  
  
"Well, I hope you're wrong," Jonathan said firmly, wondering to himself if they could be right. "Look, let's not speculate, ok? Lonnie, where did you go? What did they make you do?"  
  
"They didn't hurt me at all sir, but I had to call Captain Bridger. He was very worried sir. They had me explain the situation to him. The official stance is that we are being held hostage until a certain amount of money is paid to a certain bank account. They had me tell him Jim was wounded, it was almost like Mariah wanted him to know and feel guilty. Anyway, I had to tell the Captain that if so much as a launch or a diver came up onto the beach, one of us will die instantly, and then every ten minutes after that we'll be executed one by one. I was also required to tell him he had eight hours to get the money wired to the account, and then we'd all be dead. He didn't look too happy but told me he would see what he could do. He also warned me to tell them that the UEO didn't deal with terrorists and that he doubted that they would get what they wanted. I told him we understood. He was obviously upset,"  
  
"So they want money."  
  
"I don't think so, sir," Tim said from the floor. "Remember, Mariah's been taunting us that her employers had something in store for us. This is a scientific research center. She kept using the term 'subjects.' I doubt she would idly threaten us. I have a feeling the hostage situation and ransom is to buy time, for what I don't know." Tim's deduction left all of the seaQuest crew silent. Jonathan felt miserable. He knew they were trapped and things continued to look worse. He had just let Mariah take Jim to who knows where, which he was regretting since Lonnie had muttered the word love. The Captain believed that they were being held hostage, but if what Tim had said was right, then he was merely being distracted. And here Jonathan was, trapped in the confines of a small cell with no power to do anything.  
  
"Look guys…" Jonathan was about to try to at least comfort his officers when the door opened and Mariah reappeared with Jim. She was followed by two guards and Jonathan's muscles tensed.  
  
"He'll be fine," Mariah said certainly, laying Jim back on the bunk. His uniform shirt was missing, revealing his upper body. His shoulder was freshly bandaged and the blood had been cleaned up. Mariah turned as if she was ready to leave, but reached out and grabbed Tony by the arm. "Let's go Piccolo."  
  
"Hey!" Tony cried out in surprise. One of the guards grabbed his other arm.  
  
"Mariah!" Jonathan took a step forward to stop Mariah, but the other guard lost no time in getting in between Jonathan and the dagger. Jonathan angrily shoved him and was rewarded with a sucker punch to the gut.  
  
"Stay out of my way Commander," Mariah's tone was light and mocking as Tony was dragged from the room arguing and thrashing. Miguel quickly moved to help Jonathan up.  
  
"In the name of…" Jonathan started to yell, banging his fist loudly into the bunk above Jim. The metal cut his hand and a trickle of blood slid down his arm.  
  
"Jonathan!" Lonnie was trying to get his attention forcibly and grabbed his arm. "Stop! They're gone and there's nothing you could do about it… Tony will be ok…just calm down."  
  
Jonathan was about to spit out a nasty reply to her that he would have regretted shortly after there when all of them were distracted by a groan from Jim. The handsome Lieutenant seemed to be waking up and he rolled onto his uninjured shoulder, coughing and groaning. Jonathan hurried to be next to him, pushing Tim slightly aside.  
  
"Jim? Jim can you hear me?" Jonathan's voice was somewhat desperate, hoping Jim would respond. The young Lieutenant continued to cough and spit up a little blood. Miguel reached out to steady his shaking body and Lonnie put her hand on his head, lightly rubbing his forehead in a soothing matter. "Jim?"  
  
Slowly, the coughing died down to a hoarse wheezing noise and Jonathan feared Jim was going to slip back into unconsciousness. He was proved wrong though when Jim's eyes fluttered open, revealing a myriad of emotion. His blue eyes had dulled to gray and were filled with pain, confusion, and discontent, as if he had just awoken from a nightmare.  
  
"Hey there," Lonnie said softly, catching his eye. He opened his mouth to speak, looking like he was exhausted beyond the point of caring.  
  
"No…don't talk," Jonathan's voice was friendly and worried, but commanding. "You're too weak. Mariah told us you were going to be ok." With those words, energy flared in Jim's eyes, anger and disillusionment filled the gray depths and his body seemed to tense, resulting in a soft groan of pain. "Jim, don't be angry. I made the call. It was my decision. Now go back to sleep." It looked as if Jim wanted to argue, but he seemed to have used up too much energy in his emotional upheaval and he finally nodded, still looking argumentative. He closed his eyes again and was soon breathing softly and evenly. "Well, that didn't go as well as I had planned, but at least he didn't argue."  
  
"Yeah, and that's a relief in itself," Miguel said with a grin. "I hate to hear the two of you argue. You both always think you're right and never stop to listen. If you did you would realize how stupid you sound."  
  
"Mr. Ortiz, you're still on duty…"  
  
"Oh. Sorry sir. I mean sirs. Do I have to apologize to him? He's sleeping."  
  
Miguel was answered when Lonnie hit him upside the head. 


	6. The Truth

Author's Note: Well, its moving on slowly but surely. Tell me what you think of this chapter…I know it's a little cheesy, but I had thought about this idea for a while and thought I might try it. Anyway if you all still like it, I'll keep going (  
  
Jim's train of thought was sluggish and fuzzy. He felt as if he'd been hit by a launch from the way his head hurt. He had become aware that he was awake not very long before, but the aching in his head had been a signal enough that he should take things nice and easy. He had a tendency to get himself into sticky situations, and he had been wounded before. Jim knew it was best to collect his thoughts and remember what happened before trying to get up. The fog in his mind cleared a little as he tried to remember where he was and what had happened. Slowly it came back to him. They had been on a rescue mission. He was tired. He hadn't had much sleep lately. There was shooting. He'd made sure Jonathan was ok…oh yes…the hut and Mariah. She had called them with a threat. Something about the bullet wound he had received. Oh yeah, I've been shot…great…. The last thing he remembered was getting really cold and finding it really hard to breathe. No, that was wrong. He remembered waking up sometime after that.  
  
Pushing his mental functioning he strained to pick through the gap in his memory. He remembered feeling cold again and there was the sound of shouting. Jonathan had been shouting. He had managed to roll over but his lungs felt like they had been on fire. He'd pushed to open his eyes…Jonathan was there, so were Lonnie, Tim, and Miguel. No Tony, Jim noted. He had wanted to speak to them, ask them what was going on. Jonathan had mentioned Mariah… Jim remembered fairly clearly how angry he had been. They had surrendered because of him. We must be prisoners now. I have to get up.  
  
Forcing his body to respond, Jim struggled to open his eyes. Very slowly the room came into focus. He was lying on his left side, facing off some sort of bunk. His combat and SEAL training kicked in and he scanned the room. There were bunks on the opposite wall and one wall seemed to be two way glass. Jonathan was on the other side of the room, next to some sort of door that obviously only opened from the other side. He seemed impatient. Miguel was asleep on one of the bunks and Lonnie and Tim were in one corner speaking quietly. Jim tried to shift his weight, causing a burning sensation in his right shoulder. Good job Jim, don't forget you've been shot. Jim opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He found it a little difficult to breathe, as if his lungs were covered in something. Refusing to give up, Jim tried to speak again, this time having a little more luck.  
  
"Ford?" his voice was rough and scratchy and came out more of a whisper, but Lonnie heard him from where she was sitting.  
  
"Jim!" She got up and hurried over to his side. Tim was right behind her and Jonathan hurried over from the door. "You're awake!" He nodded at her and did his best to smile.  
  
"How do you feel?" Jonathan asked worriedly, touching Jim on the forehead, searching for a fever. Jim pulled away from his touch.  
  
"What happened?" he asked hoarsely.  
  
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"  
  
"Jonathan…where's Tony?" Jim could almost hear himself pleading for explanations.  
  
"All right, after you were shot…" Jonathan related to Jim everything that had happened since he had lost consciousness in the hut. Jim's mind was turning in a million different directions as Jonathan told him what Mariah had threatened about them being subjects and her particular interest in him.  
  
"What do you think her game is?" Jim's asked, his voice sounding stronger than before. "Is it really about the money?"  
  
"Good question Lieutenant Brody," the voice caused all of them to turn in the direction of the door. Mariah was standing in the doorway as if she had just entered. "However, like I told Commander Ford, this isn't my game. I'm not totally unlike you, just following orders," with this quiet comment, she strode further in the room and two of her guards came in after her, carrying an unconscious Tony. Jonathan jumped to his feet from Jim's side, clearly angry.  
  
"What did you do to him?!" Jonathan demanded, taking a step towards Mariah. Tim reached up and grabbed Jonathan's shoulder to keep him from getting into a scuffle with Mariah.  
  
"He's fine, our scientists just had to take a look at Mr. Piccolo. I assure you Commander that he was not harmed in the least. Set him down," she ordered her men. They carefully placed Tony on the floor. The seaman didn't stir, but he did seem all right. "Well Commander, this is it. I promised you no one has to die in this ordeal. Stay out of my way for the next twelve hours and everything is going to be fine."  
  
"You had me tell Captain Bridger eight hours, and that was almost three hours ago!" Lonnie protested.  
  
"That's why you're going to come with me to call your captain again Ensign Henderson. You'll be given further instructions at that time, but you'll all be relieved to know that one of you will be released in the next hour."  
  
"You're releasing one of us to the seaQuest?" Jim spoke up this time, sounding suspicious at this new found kindness. His instincts screamed that this was some sort of trap.  
  
"That's right. We'll be releasing Lieutenant O'Neil within the hour as a sign of good will to your Captain."  
  
"So you're releasing someone because you're bargaining for more time and you think this will appease the Captain and keep his mind off of what you're really doing. You don't want the money…"  
  
"You're very astute Lieutenant Brody, but I think you're Captain knows of the ploy, though I'm sure he'll go along with it," she nodded her head at the guards and they seized Tim and dragged him out. Jonathan's body tensed and glared at Mariah. Two more guards entered and Mariah closed the door. "See, I think it would only be fair to tell you all of what your future holds. I hold you as admirable opponents and you deserve to know, but the Lieutenant would only ruin the plans by telling your Captain and my superiors might not finish what they've started."  
  
"Which is?" Jonathan's voice was more than skeptical.  
  
"My employers were careful to bait the seaQuest for a reason. It was a stroke of luck that you were inclined to bring Seaman Piccolo with you. He's the reason you're here. You see, my employer is desperate to know if he can repeat the experiment that was performed on Piccolo…"  
  
"You mean his gills," Lonnie's voice was soft and frightened. Jim shuddered involuntarily. So this was her game. She was working for mad scientists who wanted to make someone besides Tony a fish.  
  
"Exactly. The Doctor I work for needed to see Piccolo to make sure he had everything right and assumed that in getting him here he would also be provided with a choice of able bodied subjects, all physically fit, strong, and healthy. So you see, one of you has been chosen to be the object of the experiment. If you don't die, you may even be released…though I doubt it. The rest of you will be re-released to the seaQuest when we've received the money. By then, the experiment will be done and whichever one of you gets to be the fish will be far away with my employers."  
  
"What do you get out of this Mariah?" Jonathan's voice held a dangerous edge. Jim knew him well enough that he was about to explode and was only holding his rage in check by his good character and normally calm demeanor.  
  
"Revenge…and hopefully…" she trailed off, looking uncertain for a moment. She did not continue and instead grinned at Jonathan. "Who cares? I get what I want."  
  
"Well, who is it?" Miguel asked from the bunk where he had been sleeping. He sounded a little sleepy, but otherwise resigned to their fate.  
  
"Well, obviously not Piccolo. What good would two sets of gills do him? And not the Commander…after all Captain Bridger would hunt me to the ends of the earth…"  
  
"If you do this to any one of us, trust me, he'll kill you. I promise you that," Jonathan's voice was full of rage and anger. Jim noted that the two guards had drawn their weapons.  
  
"I have no doubt…"  
  
"Just tell us who!" Lonnie demanded.  
  
"Not you…you're far to…well, female, for the taste of my employers,"  
  
"And your taste?" Lonnie demanded again, stalking toward Mariah. "I know what your deal with them is. After they do their experiments and tests, you get to keep the 'subject' as a play toy, don't you?" Her voice was livid with anger and disgust.  
  
"Something along those lines Ensign," Mariah's voice was cold. "You're wasting my time. Let's go!" she turned to her guards and gave them a curt nod. They trained their weapons on Jonathan, looking a little nervous. Mariah grabbed Lonnie by the arm and pulled her towards the door. The two guards moved past Jonathan and moved towards Jim.  
  
Jim's eyes widened. "Me? What??" he struggled to sit up. Jonathan turned on the guards and Miguel leaped off his bunk. The two men attacked the guards as Jim got to his feet, feeling dizzy and woozy. In the confusion, Mariah shoved Lonnie out the door and two more guards entered, seizing the still dizzy Jim. Jim began to struggle, but one squeezed his injured shoulder and Jim felt a black haze creep over his senses. The two guards dragged him out and he could only glance back at Jonathan and Miguel, still oblivious to his fate, wrapped up in the brawl. The door swished close and the lock was like a resounding gong.  
  
"Don't be afraid Jim," a soft voice said from behind him. He stopped struggling and turned to face Mariah. She seemed a little sad and reached out to touch his cheek. He didn't pull away from her, but kept his face impassive. "I'm just following orders…" 


	7. Decisions

Author's Note: Thanks again for waiting. Tell me what you think of this chapter. Its getting there, I promise.  
  
  
  
Hours had passed since Mariah had come and gone, bringing Tony back and taking Jim with her. By the time Jonathan and Miguel had been restrained when the guards had gotten the upper hand in the fight, Tony was coming around. It was only then that Jonathan had realized with a disgusted shake of the head that he had been responsible for causing the distraction that Mariah had needed to get Jim out of the room. Lonnie still had not returned and Jonathan could only hope she had been released with Tim, but he doubted that highly. He had patiently explained to Tony why they had wanted to look at his gills.  
  
"So they're going to do this to Jim? He doesn't deserve that, Sir," Tony said softly, glancing at the floor. Jonathan felt a pang of guilt. His government, the people he worked for, had done this same experiment on Tony. Granted, Tony had chosen the experiment over prison, but it still didn't seem fair.  
  
"Neither did you Tony, however there's nothing we can do about it now. Can you tell us anything about what they did to you?"  
  
"Not really sir, I mean they brought me into some sorta lab and strapped me down. Felt sorta like I was in one of those really bad old movies. Then they put an oxygen mask over my mouth, but it sure wasn't oxygen…some sorta knock out gas I'd guess… No sir, I really can't tell you much."  
  
"How do you feel now?"  
  
"To tell ya the truth, my gills are a little sore, but I know the feeling… Its like when I first got em, and the Docs were always poking around watching em work and stuff," Tony shrugged. "I'm guessing that's what they were doing."  
  
"Sorry to have gotten you into this Tony…I'm sorry Miguel," Jonathan turned to face Miguel.  
  
"Don't apologize, Sir. We've already been over this. We weren't going to let Jim die. After this, he may wish that we had let him, but it sure wasn't his call to make at the time. You did what you thought was best. Who knew we were going to end up in some bad production of Frankenstein?" Miguel smiled at Jonathan, hoping to seem reassuring. He was scared out of his mind and worried for Jim, a man he considered one of his better friends, but being scared wasn't getting anyone anywhere.  
  
"Yeah, no prob, Sir. We said we'd go, so here we are," Tony shrugged again. He looked like he was going to try to say something more profound after that, but the door opened and Lonnie was shoved in. Her face was tear streaked, but otherwise she looked unhurt.  
  
"Lonnie! What happened?" Jonathan hurried over to her and she buried her head in his shoulder and cried softly. Miguel and Tony had reacted immediately, and were soon right behind Lonnie, waiting to hear what she had to say. "Lonnie!" Jonathan's voice was desperate now. He was thinking worse case scenario. Tim was dead. Jim was dead. The seaQuest went down. Something had happened, and frustration began to overwhelm him. He was tired of being helpless.  
  
"I'm…I'm sorry sir," Lonnie sniffed a little and pulled away from Jonathan, wiping at her eyes.  
  
"What happened?" Miguel asked. "Is Jim…"  
  
"Dead? Oh God no…but I think it would probably be better if he was," she was fighting tears again. "No, I'm sorry…hold on, just give me a sec," she turned away, collecting herself and leaving the three men to stare at her back, a million thoughts flowing through their minds.  
  
"Why don't you start from when Mariah took you out of here," Jonathan urged softly when Lonnie turned back to face them. The young ensign nodded her head, brushing away another errant tear.  
  
"The guards held me outside until they brought Jim out. She was so…soft…with him. She touched him…and seemed so apologetic, telling him she was just following orders. He was so silent, but he didn't look afraid. I was terrified. They told us to walk and he gave me a small smile before they dragged him off down another corridor. Mariah took me back to the Comm room made me call Captain Bridger again. I told him that his time was running out and he offered excuses about the money. They had me tell him that they actually understood and would give him more time. To show their good will they would release and officer to him, but they wouldn't let me tell him who. After that they made me wait until they made sure Tim was safely aboard the seaQuest. Then I talked to Bridger again and reminded him of the threat. They gave him twelve hours to have the money where it was supposed to be…that was three hours ago. After that Mariah was going to bring me back here, but I started to argue with her, demanding to see Jim… She got this strange look on her face and then took me down to the lab…." At this point, Lonnie began to cry again, but she continued to speak, soft tears running down her face. "I watched through the glass as they did some of the surgery… He was so white and he looked so cold. I couldn't drag myself away from watching…it was so terrible, Sir…" she trailed off, and then looked at the floor.  
  
"Did Mariah make you come back here?" Miguel asked softly  
  
"Yes…she was there the whole time with me, but I think she couldn't watch anymore, just like I couldn't. I didn't argue when she said I had to leave."  
  
"Lonnie, are you going to be all right?" Jonathan asked slowly.  
  
"Yes, Sir. I'll be fine. But I don't think I'll ever forget what I saw. I hope…I hope Jim makes it…"  
  
"We all do," Tony said somberly.  
  
Jonathan talked with Lonnie quietly for some time, continuing to calm her down. When he had gotten her as calm as she was going to get, he convinced her she should lay down and she was soon fast asleep. Miguel and Tony looked as if they were still digesting all that Lonnie had said to them. Jonathan had to admit that even though he had known Mariah had taken Jim, he somehow thought Jim would have escaped or that they would not really go through with such a crazy and terrible plan. Obviously he had been hoping falsely. Even with this new information, he still found himself not wanting to believe any of it. He doubted he would unless he saw Jim with the gills, and he sincerely hoped that while he wanted to see Jim again, he would never have to see the results of some crazy experiment. The more he thought about the terrible fate that Jim was going to suffer, the more he knew that even though he was powerless to stop the experiment, he could not let these mad men, and women, including Mariah, take Jim away forever. He would have to see UEO doctors and receive treatment…and the seaQuest would not be the same without him. Jonathan would lose one of his best friends.  
  
"I can't just sit here any longer. We have to do something," he said aloud. Miguel and Tony turned to face him.  
  
"Any ideas, Sir? The problem seems to be that we're locked up," although Miguel's voice held the edge of sarcasm, Jonathan sensed the eagerness to do anything but sit back and let all of this take place.  
  
"We've got to get out of this room, rescue Jim, and get out of here."  
  
"How are we gonna do that?" Tony asked, leaning forward.  
  
"We need a diversion. We have to get Mariah in here…"  
  
"Great…but how?"  
  
"Leave that to me," Jonathan said, leaning back with a grin on his face. He would get her in here. Then he would get of here. He would get them all out of here. All it would take was a little time and a lot of very precise planning. "Ok, here's what we're going to do…" 


	8. Waking Up

Hey all. It's been a loooooooong time since I last updated this story. Sorry about that. Things have been very crazy in my life. This is a short chapter, but fairly moving if you care about Jim. Tell me if you still want me to keep working on it. If not, I'll cool it. Thanks.  
  
Jim was aware of the cold first. It seemed like everything was very cold. The next thing he was aware of was that he didn't feel anything else. He only felt cold. His body did seem a little heavy, as though he had been drugged by some sort of anesthesia. However, there was no pain. None from the bullet wound in his shoulder. None from whatever these people had done to him. Just the intense cold.  
  
Mariah had followed him until she had turned Lonnie down another hall. The guards that were holding him between them didn't take any chances and they had held a hand over Jim's shoulder, threatening to squeeze if he made any sudden movements. Realizing that he was basically stuck, Jim hadn't tried to make a break for it. Refusing to make it easy for them, he made them drag him all the way. They had come into a large lab area with a singular metal table long enough to put a person on directly in the center. The lights had been harsh and Jim had closed his eyes and squinted until his eyes adjusted. By that time he found himself staring at three men, dressed entirely in white scrubs, with surgery masks covering most of their faces.  
  
"This will go easier if you don't struggle, Lieutenant Brody," one of them said. Jim remembered just staring at them, feeling like he should do something.  
  
"What, just stand back and let you turn me into some bad science experiment?" he had retorted, trying to pull away. He was rewarded with a harsh squeeze to his shoulder, causing his vision to blur and his knees to buckle. The two guards held him up as he struggled to regain his balance and to stop his nausea.  
  
"The less you fight it, the better it will be. I am a trained professional."  
  
"This is illegal!"  
  
"Ever the security officer, aren't we?" one of the others piped up. "Oh yes, James Robert Brody. We know all about you. If you are so high and mighty in your morals, why did you play a part in the GELF settlement?"  
  
"I was following orders." Jim replied, feeling inadequate.  
  
"Consider these orders. You'll be changing the future. Someday all men will be clamoring to have the ability to swim freely under the water as you will be able to do."  
  
"But that will be their choice!"  
  
"Come now, Lieutenant. I did a fine job on Mr. Piccolo. You'll be fine. Get him on the table," the order was cool and quick. Jim did his best to struggle, but he was no match for the two strong-armed guards. Soon enough, they had him lying on his stomach, face resting on the cold metal. His arms, legs, and neck were secured to the table with cold metal restraints. Jim could literally feel himself losing the battle.  
  
"Aren't you going to beg?" One of the men asked. Jim gritted his teeth and remained silent. Some sort of oxygen mask was placed over his face and Jim could taste the gas. His mind was screaming, unable to believe that he was about to become part of some twisted science experiment. Slowly the haze of the anesthetic began to overcome his mind and he ceased all bodily struggle. It was then that he felt a soft hand on his head, stroking his hair.  
  
"Don't worry Jim, I promise I'll take care of you.and someday you'll understand I was just following orders, like you." After that, merciful darkness claimed the young security chief.  
  
Hours later, Jim had awoken to the intense cold. Slowly, he opened his tired eyes. He was no longer in the lab, he noted. The room he was in now looked slightly less disinfected and the bed he was lying on was padded. There will still restraints and he was still lying on his stomach. He realized then that he was not fully clothed, but must have retained something on his lower half. Frustration threatened to overwhelm him. What had they done to him? Did he have gills now? Did they work? What would it mean? What would they do with him now? The questions were unending. Jim took a shuddering breath, realizing now more than ever that he was glad he could feel no pain.  
  
The door on the far side of the room swished open with a soft hiss and one of the men, Jim thought he was the main doctor, approached the bed cautiously. Jim would have like to have eyed him suspiciously, but that thought seemed difficult. The doctor tried to smile at him, and Jim noted he was older, but not so old that he looked at all compassionate.  
  
"I see you're awake," he said slowly. "Don't try to talk. You've been under for several hours. I've done a lot of work to speed your recovery so that you will be well enough to travel." This time, Jim mustered a glare.  
  
"I..am not..going anywhere.with.you," his voice sounded like it refused to function. The man nodded absently, checking on the IV that was in Jim's left arm.  
  
"You did remarkably well. I was right. You were the best subject. Your body was more than strong enough, even with the previous poison. You should heal quickly." Jim wanted to retort, but found it wasn't worth the effort. "Try to go back to sleep Jim, it will be better for you." The man turned and walked out, leaving a bitter Jim to glare at him.  
  
Not two minutes after the doctor had left did Mariah appear in the doorway. Jim closed his eyes, hoping she only thought he was awake and would leave if she found that he appeared to be sleeping. He was to have no such luck.  
  
"I know you're awake Jim," she said quietly, striding over to him. He slanted his eyes enough to let her know how little he cared. She smiled sadly down at him. Reaching out, she touched his head and pushed back a strand of hair. "Please, don't be angry with me. I was just following orders. You have to understand that. You followed orders too. I understand that now. I promise I won't let them really hurt you, and when they're done, I promise I'll take care of you." As she spoke, Jim's eyes widened but he could not bring himself to reply. What was she saying? She cared about him?  
  
Mariah didn't seem surprised that he didn't even try to answer. "You'll understand me in some time, I hope," and with those last words, she turned to go. She stopped, turning back suddenly. Bending down, she kissed him gently on the cheek, causing him to try to jerk away, made entirely impossible by the restraint that dug into his neck. She turned and left then, leaving Jim confused and lost. He tried to reassure himself by hoping that the drug coursing through his veins was still taking effect.  
  
This has been the worst day of my life and it might never end. 


End file.
